Method and apparatus for measuring distribution of body fat

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body. The method comprises the step of measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc. The method further comprises the step of calculating an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat or abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat as well as the girth of abdomen. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises the step of measuring the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen. Thereafter, the area of abdominal visceral fat and the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat are calculated, based upon the measurements of the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for measuringa body fat for a person, and more particularly, to a method and anapparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In the past, the weight of a person was frequently used as a factor torepresent a personal health condition. But, recently, a rate of body fatfor a person has becoming to be an important factor to represents thehealth condition for the person. Accordingly, various types of methodand apparatus for measuring an amount of body fat have been developedand proposed. For instance, TOKUKAISHO No. 62-169023 discloses atechnique for measuring an amount of body fat for a person by enteringthe personal data such as height, age, sex, etc., and measuring theweight for a person and the impedance between the extreme parts on abody of the person. In addition, TOKUHYOSHO No. 57-500900 discloses atechnique for measuring the thickness of a fatty fascia. According tothis technique, an ultrasonic pulse signal is applied to an animal fromthe rear side, and any received signal reflected from a boundary betweena fatty fascia and a muscle fascia is detected. Then the time periodbetween transmission and reception of the pulse signal is measured todetermine the thickness of the fatty fascia. Furthermore, TOKUKAISHO No.62-87139 discloses an estimating method for body fat. According to thismethod, subcutaneous fat on each part of a human body is measured byusing an ultrasonic signal. Then the measurement is multiplied by across sectional area factor or a body fat estimation factor on each partof the body for producing an estimate of body fat on each part of thebody. Thereafter, the individual estimates are integrated to determinewhole body fat.

Recently, it has found that a risk for a person to get so called “adult(noncommunicable) diseases”, such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis, etc.,may vary depending upon the distribution of fat or whether he has asubcutaneous fat or a visceral fat, irrespective of the same rate of fathe has. Therefore, a method of measuring the distribution of fat byanalyzing a tomographic image of an abdomen taken by CT or MRI has beenproposed.

Such method, however, is problematic in that the analysis of the imageis highly complex and CT may produce an exposure of X-ray to the humanbody.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method andan apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat, that can solvethe problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to attain such object, the prior art problems are solved,according to one aspect of the present invention, by providing a new andimproved method of measuring a distribution of body fat for a humanbody, characterized in that it comprises the steps of. measuring abioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat,based on the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; andcalculating an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on themeasurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness ofabdominal subcutaneous fat.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofmeasuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized inthat it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance anda thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the personal datasuch as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; and calculating an area or anamount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the measurements of thebioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.

According to further aspect, the present invention provides a method ofmeasuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized inthat it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance anda thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the personal datasuch as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; and calculating an area or anamount of abdominal visceral fat and an area or an amount of abdominalsubcutaneous fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectricalimpedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides a methodof measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterizedin that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedanceand a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the sex, age,height and weight of a person; measuring a girth of abdomen; andcalculating an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on themeasurements of the bioelectrical impedance, the thickness of abdominalsubcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, said thickness ofabdominal subcutaneous fat is measured by using an ultrasonic signal.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, said thickness ofabdominal subcutaneous fat is measured by using a skin hold caliper.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body,characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters thepersonal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unitthat measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that entersa thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic elementthat calculates an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based onthe data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said secondinput unit.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body,characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters thepersonal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unitthat measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that entersa thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic elementthat calculates an area or an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat,based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit andsaid second input unit.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body,characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters thepersonal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unitthat measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that entersa thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a third input unit thatenters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates anarea or an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the data from saidfirst input unit, said measuring unit, said second input unit and saidthird input unit.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body,characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters thepersonal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unitthat measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that entersa thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a third input unit thatenters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates anarea or an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data fromsaid first input unit, said measuring unit, said second input unit andsaid third input unit.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body,characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters thepersonal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unitthat measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that entersa thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic elementthat calculates an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat and anarea or an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data fromsaid first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, said second inputunit includes an ultrasonic probe.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the datadetected by said ultrasonic probe is transmitted to said arithmeticelement via a radio communication means or an optical communicationmeans

According to further embodiment of the present invention, said secondinput unit includes a skin hold caliper.

According to further embodiment of the present invention, the datadetected by said skin hold caliper is transmitted to said arithmeticelement via a radio communication means or an optical communicationmeans

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body,characterized in that it comprises: a first arithmetic element thatcalculates an area of abdominal visceral fat; a second arithmeticelement that calculates an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and adecision unit that determines the type of corpulence by dividing thearea of abdominal visceral fat calculated in said first arithmeticelement by the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat calculated in saidsecond arithmetic element.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides a methodof measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterizedin that it comprises the steps of: measuring the thickness of abdominalsubcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen; and calculating the area ofabdominal visceral fat, based upon the measurements of the thickness ofabdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides a methodof measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterizedin that it comprises the steps of: measuring the thickness of abdominalsubcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen; and calculating the area ofabdominal subcutaneous fat, based upon the measurements of the thicknessof abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides a methodof measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterizedin that it comprises the steps of: measuring the thickness of abdominalsubcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen; and calculating the area ofabdominal visceral fat and the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, basedupon the measurements of the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat andthe girth of abdomen.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step ofderiving the area of abdominal visceral fat or the area of abdominalsubcutaneous fat further comprises the step of performing a correctionprocess based upon the personal data including sex, age, height, etc.

According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body,characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters thethickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a second input unit that entersthe girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates the areaof abdominal visceral fat based upon the data from said first and secondinput units.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, said first inputunit includes an ultrasonic probe.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, said firstinput unit includes a skin hold caliper.

According to further embodiment of the present invention, the apparatusfurther comprises a third input unit that enters the personal dataincluding sex, age, height, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Now the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view representing an apparatus for measuring abody fat for a person according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram representing the circuitconfiguration of the body fat measuring apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view representing an apparatus for measuring abody fat for a person according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram representing the circuitconfiguration of the body fat measuring apparatus, as shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart briefly representing the steps of measuring thedistribution of body fat according to the present invention;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are flow charts each representing in more detail thesteps, as shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of subcutaneous fat in abdomen when itis assumed that the cross section of abdomen is considered as a truecircle;

FIG. 9 is a view representing the correlation between a total amount offat and a total area of fat in abdomen;

FIG. 10 is a view representing the correlation between a thickness andan area of abdominal subcutaneous fat;

FIG. 11 is a view representing the correlation between a total amount offat and an area of abdominal visceral fat;

FIG. 12 is a view representing the correlation between a thickness ofabdominal subcutaneous fat and a total amount of subcutaneous fat;

FIG. 13 is a view representing the correlation between a totalsubcutaneous fat and an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat;

FIG. 14 is a view representing the correlation between an amount ofvisceral fat and an area of abdominal visceral fat;

FIG. 15 is a view representing the correlation between a height, weightand thickness of subcutaneous fat, and a total amount of subcutaneousfat; and

FIG. 16 is a view representing the correlation between a product ofwaist size and thickness of subcutaneous fat, and an area of abdominalsubcutaneous fat.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view representing an apparatus for measuring abody fat for a person according to yet further embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram representing the circuitconfiguration of the body fat measuring apparatus, as shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view representing an apparatus for measuring abody fat for a person according to yet further embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram representing the circuitconfiguration of the body fat measuring apparatus, as shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a flow chart briefly representing the steps of measuring thedistribution of body fat according to the present invention;

FIGS. 22 and 23 are flow charts representing in more detail the steps asshown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is a view representing a correlation between a waist size and atotal area of fat in abdomen;

FIG. 25 is a view representing a correlation between a waist size and anarea of visceral fat; and

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view representing an apparatus for measuring abody fat for a person according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. The body fat measuring apparatus includes a weight meter 10with a fat meter included therein, and an ultrasonic probe 30 connectedto the weight meter 10 via an electric cable 20. In this embodiment,some standard electric cable 20 is shown to connect the ultrasonic probe30 with the weight meter 10. But it may possible that the measurementdata obtained by the ultrasonic probe 30 is transmitted to the weightmeter 10 via a radio frequency communication or an opticalcommunication.

The weight meter 10 is provided with a power switch (not shown), pairsof foot electrodes 11 and 12, a display 13 and a data input portion 14on the top of the meter housing. In addition, a weight sensor and acontrol circuit having an arithmetic component are included inside thehousing of weight meter 10.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram representing a circuit configurationof the body fat measuring apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 2, the weight meter 10 includes a control circuit 1 as the maincomponent within the housing, as usual. The control circuit 1 functionsto receive a data from data input switches on the data input portion 14,and a weight data detected by the weight sensor. In addition, itreceives data signals from constant current electrode plates and voltagemeasuring electrode plates of the pairs of foot electrodes 11 and 12,and a data from the ultrasonic probe 30. Based on those data, thecontrol circuit performs arithmetic operations, as described below, forindicating the results of the arithmetic operations on the display 13.

Alternative to the control circuit 1 and the data input switches 14positioned on the weight meter 10, the similar control circuit 2 and thedata input switches may be positioned on the ultrasonic probe 30, asshown in FIG. 2. In addition, instead of the electric cable 20, theradio frequency communication or optical communication may be done fordata transmission between transmitter/receiver portions in the weightmeter 10 and the ultrasonic probe 30, as indicated by a broken line inFIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view representing an apparatus for measuring abody fat for a person according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. The body fat measuring apparatus includes a weight meter 10with a fat meter included therein, and a skin hold caliper 40 connectedto the weight meter 10 via an electric cable 20. In this embodiment,some standard electric cable 20 is shown to connect the skin holdcaliper 40 with the weight meter 10. But, as already described earlier,it may possible that the measurement data obtained by the skin holdcaliper 40 is transmitted to the weight meter 10 via a radio frequencycommunication or an optical communication.

Similar to the embodiment as above, the weight meter 10 is provided witha power switch (not shown), pairs of foot electrodes 11 and 12, adisplay 13 and a data input portion 14 on the top of the meter housing.In addition, a weight sensor and a control circuit having an arithmeticcomponent are included inside the housing of weight meter 10.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram representing a circuit configurationof the body fat measuring apparatus, as shown in FIG. 3. As shown inFIG. 4, the weight meter 10 includes a control circuit 1 as the maincomponent within the housing, as usual. The control circuit 1 functionsto receive a data from data input switches on the data input portion 14,and a weight data detected by the weight sensor. In addition, itreceives data signals from constant current electrode plates and voltagemeasuring electrode plates of the pairs of foot electrodes 11 and 12,and a data from the skin hold caliper 40. Based on those data, thecontrol circuit performs arithmetic operations, as described below, forindicating the results of the arithmetic operations on the display 13.

Similar to the embodiment as above, instead of the control circuit 1 andthe data input switches 14 positioned on the weight meter 10, thesimilar control circuit 2 and the data input switches may be positionedon the skin hold caliper 40, as shown in FIG. 4. In addition, instead ofthe electric cable 20, the radio frequency communication or opticalcommunication may be done for data transmission betweentransmitter/receiver portions in the weight meter 10 and the skin holdcaliper 40, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4.

In both embodiments as described above, the weight meter 10 with the fatmeter included therein is designed to perform measurement of thebioelectrical impedance between both feet of a person. The presentinvention is not necessarily be limited to such design, but it may beapplied to such configuration that measurement is performed between bothhands, between a hand and a foot, between both feet and a hand, as wellas between both hands and both feet. The ultrasonic probe 30 functionsto measure the thickness of subcutaneous fat in abdomen of a person. Inthis connection, the measurement may be performed either in “A-mode”which is simple and described latter in detail, or in “B-mode” whichtakes relatively higher cost. The body fat measuring apparatus in theembodiments as described above use the ultrasonic probe or the skin holdcaliper to measure the thickness of subcutaneous fat in abdomen of aperson, but they may use other measuring means for performing the samemeasurement.

Now, a method for measuring a distribution of body fat for a personaccording to the present invention will be described, in associationwith the operation of the body fat measuring apparatus in theembodiments as described above.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart briefly representing the steps of measuring thedistribution of body fat according to the present invention. FIGS. 6 and7 represent in more detail the steps as shown in FIG. 5 in the form of aflow chart. Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, a person who wants to measure hisdistribution of body fat turns on the body fat measuring apparatus, asshown in step 1 in FIG. 5. Then, in steps 2 to 4, he enters the personaldata such as his height, age, sex, etc., into the apparatus via the datainput switches on the data input portion 14. Then, in step 5, the personenters the weight of the clothes that he wears (or the tare weight).This step 5, however, may be bypassed.

Then, in step 6, the person measures the thickness of subcutaneous fatin his abdomen by using the ultrasonic probe 30 or the skin hold caliper40. In this connection; the measurement of the thickness of subcutaneousfat in abdomen by the ultrasonic probe 30 is performed in “A-mode” ofoperation. The measurement data on the thickness of subcutaneous fat inabdomen obtained by the ultrasonic probe 30 or the skin hold caliper 40is transmitted to the control circuit of the weight meter 10. Withregard to “A-mode” of operation for measuring the thickness ofsubcutaneous fat, the ultrasonic probe 30 produces a high frequencyultrasonic signal that is incident on a surface of the body of theperson. Then the ultrasonic signal is reflected from the boundarybetween a fatty fascia and a peritoneum or between the fatty fascia anda muscle fascia back to the probe 30. Then the time period between thetransmission of the ultrasonic signal and the reception of the reflectedultrasonic signal is measured. The thickness of fatty fascia can bedetermined based upon the time period thus measured and the knownvelocity value of sound through the fatty fascia.

Then, the person mounts the weight meter 10 with soles of his feetpositioned on the pairs of foot electrodes 11 and 12. In step 7, theweight sensor acts to measure the weight of the person, and the weightthus measured is transmitted to the control circuit 1. Then, in step 8,the bioelectrical impedance is measured. In this connection, thebioelectrical impedance is calculated, based upon the detection signalsfed to the control circuit 1 from the constant current electrode platesand voltage measuring electrode plates of the foot electrode pairs 11and 12.

In step 9, the total amount of fat is calculated from the bioelectricalimpedance by the arithmetic circuit within the control circuit 1. Thecalculation of the total amount of fat is performed according to “BIA”process, for instance. In “BIA” process, the impedance between two parts(for instance, between both feet) of a person is measured, andthereafter, the rate of body fat is calculated by utilizing the factthat the relation between a fat tissue and a defatting tissue is closelyrelated to the bioelectrical impedance. Then the rate of body fat iscorrected with the personal data such as height, weight, age, etc.

Based upon the data entered as described above, the arithmetic circuitwithin the control circuit 1 performs a several operations as follows:

A. (1) Calculation of total area (or cross sectional area) of fat inabdomen:

The total area or amount of fat in abdomen is calculated in relation tothe total amount of fat (see FIG. 8 9).

At present time, the distribution of fat for a human body is generallyconsisting of two types: subcutaneous fat and visceral fat (or fat inabdominal cavity). As is well known, the subcutaneous fat is mainlypresent in abdomen and the visceral fat is also present in the abdomenof a person. Therefore, both types of fats are concentrated in theabdomen of a person. Assuming that the sum of both types of fat isconsidered as the total amount of fat, the total amount of fat isstrongly related to the total area or amount of fat in abdomen. FIG. 9shows the correlation between the total amount of fat and the total areaof fat in abdomen. Due to the correlation present therebetween, aregression curve can be used to determine the total area or amount offat in abdomen from the total amount of fat.

Before the detailed description with reference to FIGS. 9 to 25, someterms such as Correlation Factor “r”, Risk Factor “p<z” and RegressionCurve are defined as follows:

As for the correlation factor “r”, as this factor “r” approaches “1”,any deviation from the regression curve becomes small and the functionconsisting of both variables “X” and “Y” becomes sensitive. In otherwords, there is no such possibility present that the change in amount of“Y” becomes unduly greater in relation to the change in amount of “X”.

As for the risk factor “p<z”, the percentage for which there is nocorrelation is less than the value of z*100(%).

As for the regression curve, it is represented by the following formula:Y=a·X+bWhere “Y” is derived based upon the value “X”; a horizontal axis in thegraph represents “X”, a vertical axis represents “Y”; and thecoefficients “a” and “b” are calculated using the actual measurementvalues as follows:b={Σ(X−X[average])·(Y−Y[average])}/Σ{X−X[average]²}a=Y[average]−b·X[average]

A. (2) Calculation of an area (or cross sectional area) of subcutaneousfat in abdomen:

The area or amount of subcutaneous fat in abdomen is calculated inrelation to the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, or the productof thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and waist size (see FIG. 10or 16). In the latter case, it is required that the girth of waist ismeasured in step 7′ between steps 6 and 7 in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 8, assuming that the abdomen is a true circle inshape, the area (or cross sectional area) of subcutaneous fat in theabdomen is calculated as follows:

-   -   Radius of abdomen=waist size/(2π)    -   Area of subcutaneous fat=(radius of abdomen)²×π−(radius of        abdomen−thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat)²×n        Because the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat is extremely        small, as compared to the girth of abdomen (or waist size), the        area of abdominal subcutaneous fat can be expressed as follows:

Area of abdominal subcutaneous fat≠(thickness of abdominal subcutaneousfat×waist size)

FIG. 15 16 shows the correlation between the estimated area and theactually measured area of said abdominal subcutaneous fat (thehorizontal axis in the graph represents the estimated value which equalsthe product of waist size and thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat).As the result, due to the fact that the actual human body is not a truecircle in cross sectional shape, there may be some difference betweenthe actual measured values and the estimated values. However, theregression curve appears substantially linear, and therefore, it ispossible to estimate the area or amount of abdominal subcutaneous fatsimply by measuring the waist size and the thickness of subcutaneousfat. FIG. 10 shows the correlation between the actually measured valuesof thickness and area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, that is effectiveto make the measuring process more easy. As the result, due to thecorrelation present therebetween, the regression curve can be used forestimating the area or amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat from thethickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.

A. (3) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat/an area ofabdominal subcutaneous fat:

The area or amount of abdominal visceral fat is calculated bysubtracting the area or amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat from thetotal area or mount of fat in abdomen. Then, the area or amount ofabdominal visceral fat/the area or amount of abdominal subcutaneous fatis calculated.

B. (1) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat:

The area or amount of abdominal visceral fat is calculated in relationto the total amount of fat (see FIG. 11).

B. (2) Calculation of an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat:

The area or amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat is calculated inrelation to the thickness of subcutaneous fat, or the product ofthickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and waist size (see FIG. 10 or16). Refer to description for item A. (2) above.

B. (3) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat/an area ofabdominal subcutaneous fat:

C. (1) Calculation of total amount of subcutaneous fat:

The total amount of subcutaneous fat is calculated in relation to thethickness of subcutaneous fat, or the product of thickness ofsubcutaneous fat and waist size, weight^(0.425) and height^(0.725) (seeFIG. 12 or 15).

A several formulas for deriving the body surface area have beenpublished, one of which is described below:Total body surface area (cm²)=weight(kg)^(0.425)×height(cm)^(0.725)×70.98The rate of body surface area of a main body and limbs relative to thetotal body surface area is generally considered as about 80%. Then thefollowing formula is resultedBody surface area of a main body and limbs (cm²)=total body surface area(cm²)×0.8The thickness of subcutaneous fat in several parts of the body (forinstance, thigh, crural, abdomen, flank, upper arm, etc.) is measuredand the average of them is determined. Due to the fact that density offat is 0.9 g/cm², the total amount of subcutaneous fat is calculatedaccording to the following formula:Total amount of subcutaneous fat (g)=(body surface area of main body andlimbs)×(average thickness of subcutaneous fat)×0.9This is the most theoretical formula, but for the sake of simplicity,the total amount of subcutaneous fat may be calculated simply by usingthe values of thickness of subcutaneous fat in less number of parts ofthe body.

The part of the body having the largest amount of subcutaneous fat isabdomen, and therefore, it must have the greatest contribution to thetotal amount of subcutaneous fat. Accordingly the average thickness ofsubcutaneous fat is substituted by the thickness of subcutaneous fat inabdomen to produce an estimate of the total amount of subcutaneous fat.FIG. 15 shows the correlation between such estimated values of totalamount of subcutaneous fat and the actually measured values therefor.

As the result, it is apparent that the values are substantially presenton a line. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the total amount ofsubcutaneous fat from the thickness of subcutaneous fat in abdomen.

Alternatively, more facilitated method of getting the total amount ofsubcutaneous fat is to obtain the correlation between the thickness ofsubcutaneous fat in abdomen and the total amount of subcutaneous fat.Then, the regression curve is used to estimate the total amount ofsubcutaneous fat from the thickness of subcutaneous fat. FIG. 12 showsthe relation between the thickness of subcutaneous fat in abdomen andthe total amount of subcutaneous fat. Due to the correlation presenttherebetween, it is possible to use the regression curve for estimatingthe total amount of subcutaneous fat from the thickness of subcutaneousfat.

C. (2) Calculation of an amount of visceral fat:

The amount of visceral fat is calculated by subtracting the amount ofsubcutaneous fat from the total amount of fat.

C. (3) Calculation of an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat:

The area of abdominal subcutaneous fat is calculated in relation to thethickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, or the total amount ofsubcutaneous fat, or the product of thickness of subcutaneous fat andwaist size (see FIG. 10 or 13, 13, or 16). Refer to item A. (2) asabove.

C. (4) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat:

The area of abdominal visceral fat is calculated in relation to theamount of area of visceral fat (see FIG. 14).

C. (5) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat/area ofabdominal subcutaneous fat:

Now, description is made to the criteria of evaluation for visceral fat.At the present time, an attack of diabetes or other “adult(noncommunicable) diseases” is considered more greatly depending on thevisceral fat type corpulence than the subcutaneous fat type corpulence.Therefore, the tomographic image of the navel region obtained by CT scanor MRI is used to produce the values of the subcutaneous fat area andvisceral fat area. Then, the boundary between both types of corpulenceis set in such manner that the value of visceral fat area/subcutaneousfat area not less than 0.4 means the visceral fat type corpulence, whilethe value less than 0.4 means the subcutaneous fat type corpulence.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view representing an apparatus for measuring abody fat for a person according to further embodiment of the presentinvention. The body fat measuring apparatus 100 includes a main housing110, an ultrasonic probe 120 contained in the housing 110, and a girthmeasuring unit 130 such as a tape measure that is winded up and pulledout of the housing 110. A display 111 and a data input unit 112 arepositioned on the top of the housing 110. A power switch (not shown) ispositioned somewhere on the housing 110 and a control circuit includingan arithmetic part is contained in the housing 110.

FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram representing the circuitconfiguration of the body fat measuring apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 17.As shown in FIG. 18, the body fat measuring apparatus 100 includes acontrol circuit as the main component in the housing 110. The controlcircuit functions to receive a data from input switches on the datainput portion 112, a measurement data from the ultrasonic probe 120 anda measurement data from the girth measuring unit 130. Based on thosedata, the control circuit performs arithmetic operations, as describedbelow, for indicating the results of the arithmetic operations on thedisplay 111.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view representing an apparatus for measuring abody fat for a person according to yet further embodiment of the presentinvention. The body fat measuring apparatus 100A includes a main housing110A. A subcutaneous fat thickness measuring unit 120A such as a skinhold caliper is contained in the housing 110. The apparatus 100Aincludes a girth measuring unit 130A such as a tape measure that iswinded up and pulled out of the housing 110. A display 111A and a datainput unit 112A are positioned on the top of the housing 110A. A powerswitch (not shown) is positioned somewhere on the housing 110A and acontrol circuit including an arithmetic part is contained in the housing110A.

FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram representing the circuitconfiguration of the body fat measuring apparatus, as shown in FIG. 19.As shown in FIG. 20, the body fat measuring apparatus 100A includes acontrol circuit as the main component in the housing 110A. The controlcircuit functions to receive a data from input switches on the datainput portion 112A, a measurement data from the subcutaneous fatthickness measuring unit 120A and a measurement data from the girthmeasuring unit 130A. Based on those data, the control circuit performsarithmetic operations, as described below, for indicating the results ofthe arithmetic operations on the display 111A.

Now, a method for measuring a distribution of body fat for a personaccording to the present invention will be described, in associationwith the operation of the body fat measuring apparatus in theembodiments as described above.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart briefly representing the steps of measuring thedistribution of body fat according to the present invention. FIGS. 22and 23 represent in more detail the steps as shown in FIG. 21 in theform of a flow chart. Referring to FIGS. 21 to 23, a person who wants tomeasure his distribution of body fat turns on the body fat measuringapparatus 100 or 100A, as shown in step 1 in FIG. 21. Then, in steps 2to 4, he enters the personal data such as his height, age, sex, etc.,into the apparatus 100 or 100A via the data input switches on the datainput portion 112 or 112A.

Then, in step 5, the person measures the thickness of subcutaneous fatin his abdomen by using the ultrasonic probe 120 or the skin holdcaliper 120A. In this connection, the measurement of the thickness ofsubcutaneous fat in abdomen by the ultrasonic probe 120 is performed in“A-mode” of operation. The measurement data on the thickness ofsubcutaneous fat in abdomen obtained by the ultrasonic probe 120 or theskin hold caliper 120A is transmitted to the control circuit within thehousing 110 or 110A. Alternatively the person may read the measuredvalue by the skin hold caliper 120A and then enter it into the apparatus110A via the data input switches on the data input portion 112A.

Next, in step 6, the girth of a waist part of the person is measured byusing the girth measuring unit 130 or 130A. Such data may automaticallytransmitted to the control circuit or it may read by the person, whothen enter it into the control circuit using the data input switches.

Based upon the data entered as described above, the arithmetic circuitwithin the control circuit performs a several operations as follows:

A. (1) Calculation of total area (or cross sectional area) of fat inabdomen:

The total area of fat in abdomen is calculated in relation to the waistsize (see FIG. 24).

FIG. 24 represents one example of a regression curve for a man, 25 yearsold. It has found that such regression curve may vary to some degreedepending upon the personal data such as sex, age, height, etc.Therefore, some correction process based upon such personal data isrequired for producing more precise estimation of the fat area.

A. (2) Calculation of an area (or cross sectional area) of subcutaneousfat in abdomen:

As described above, the area of subcutaneous fat in abdomen iscalculated in relation to the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat,or the product of thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and waist size(see FIG. 10 or 16).

A. (3) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat:

As described above, the area of abdominal visceral fat is calculated bysubtracting the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat from the total areaof fat in abdomen.

A. (4) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat/an area ofabdominal subcutaneous fat:

B. (1) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat:

The area of abdominal visceral fat is calculated in relation to thewaist size (see FIG. 9 25).

B. (2) Calculation of an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat:

As described above, the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat is calculatedin relation to the thickness of subcutaneous fat, or the product ofthickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and waist size (see FIG. 10 or16).

B. (3) Calculation of an area of abdominal visceral fat/an area ofabdominal subcutaneous fat:

It is apparent from the foregoing that the present invention provides anew and improved method and apparatus for producing a severalinformation useful for health care of a person with great simplicity andlower cost and without any adverse effect to the human body. Theinformation thus produced includes, not only data of a body fat, butalso data regarding a distribution of fat, such as an area or amount ofvisceral fat, an area or amount of subcutaneous fat, an area ofabdominal visceral fat, and an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat.

In addition, the apparatus of the present invention, as described withreference to FIGS. 17 and 19, is designed to operate without having tomeasure the weight and the bioelectrical impedance. Therefore, it caneasily be used even by a person with a pacemaker implanted and apregnant woman with great safety.

1. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; and calculating an area of abdominal visceral fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
 2. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; and calculating an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
 3. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; and calculating an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
 4. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; and calculating an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
 5. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; and calculating an area of abdominal visceral fat and an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
 6. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; and calculating an amount of abdominal visceral fat and an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
 7. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the sex, age, height and weight of a person; measuring a girth of abdomen; and calculating an area of abdominal visceral fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance, the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
 8. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the sex, age, height and weight of a person; measuring a girth of abdomen; and calculating an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance, the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
 9. A method according claim 1 in which said thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat is measured by using an ultrasonic signal.
 10. A method according claim 1 in which said thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat is measured by using a skin hold caliper.
 11. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal visceral fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
 12. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
 13. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
 14. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
 15. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a third input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal visceral fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit, said second input unit and said third input unit.
 16. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a third input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit, said second input unit and a third input unit.
 17. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a third input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit, said second input unit and said third input unit.
 18. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a third input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit, said second input unit and third input unit.
 19. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal visceral fat and an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
 20. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, height, or weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an amount of abdominal visceral fat and an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
 21. An apparatus according claim 11 in which said second input unit includes an ultrasonic probe.
 22. An apparatus according to claim 21 in which the data detected by said ultrasonic probe is transmitted to said arithmetic element via a radio communication means or an optical communication means.
 23. An apparatus according claim 11 in which said second input unit includes a skin hold caliper.
 24. An apparatus according to claim 23 in which the data detected by said skin hold caliper is transmitted to said arithmetic element via a radio communication means or an optical communication means.
 25. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal visceral fat; a second arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and a decision unit that determines the type of corpulence by dividing the area of abdominal visceral fat calculated in said first arithmetic element by the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat calculated in said second arithmetic element.
 26. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and a girth of abdomen; and calculating an area of abdominal visceral fat, based upon the measurements of the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
 27. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and a girth of abdomen; and calculating an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based upon the measurements of the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
 28. A method of measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and a girth of abdomen; and calculating an area of abdominal visceral fat and an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based upon the measurements of the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
 29. A method according to claim 26, in which said thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat is measured by using an ultrasonic signal.
 30. A method according to claim 26, in which said thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat is measured by using a skin hold caliper.
 31. A method according to any one of claims 26 to 30 in which the step of deriving the area of abdominal visceral fat or the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat further comprises the step of performing a correction process based upon personal data including at least one of sex, age, or height.
 32. An apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a second input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal visceral fat based upon the data from said first and second input units.
 33. An apparatus according to claim 32 in which said first input unit includes an ultrasonic probe.
 34. An apparatus according to claim 32 in which said first input unit includes a skin hold caliper.
 35. An apparatus according to claim 32, 33 or 34 in which it further comprises a third input unit that enters personal data including at least one of sex, age, or height.
 36. A method of measuring body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance between two parts of a person; and calculating an area or amount of abdominal visceral fat based on the measurements of said bioelectrical impedance between the two parts of the person and the age, the height, and the weight of the person.
 37. A method of measuring body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance between two parts of a person; calculating a total amount of fat based on the measurements of said bioelectrical impedance between the two parts of the person and the age, the height, and the weight of the person; and calculating an area or amount of abdominal visceral fat based on the calculated total amount of fat.
 38. A method according to claim 36 or 37 in which said two parts are both feet.
 39. A method according to claim 36 or 37 in which said two parts are both hands.
 40. A method according to claim 36 or 37 in which said two parts are a hand and a foot.
 41. An apparatus for measuring body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: an input unit that enters at least one personal data including age, height, and weight; a measuring unit that measures bioelectrical impedance between two parts of a person; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area or amount of abdominal visceral fat based on the data from said input unit and said measuring unit.
 42. An apparatus for measuring body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: an input unit that enters at least one personal data including age, height, and weight; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance between two parts of a person; and an arithmetic element that calculates a total amount of fat based on the data from said input unit and said measuring unit, and calculates an area or amount of abdominal visceral fat based on said total amount of fat.
 43. An apparatus according to claim 41 or 42 in which said two parts are both feet.
 44. An apparatus according to claim 41 or 42 in which said two parts are both hands.
 45. An apparatus according to claim 41 or 42 in which said two parts are a hand and a foot.
 46. A method of measuring body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: inputting a girth of abdomen; and calculating a total area of fat in abdomen based on the inputted girth of abdomen and personal data including at least a height.
 47. A method of measuring body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: inputting girth of abdomen; and calculating an area of visceral fat based on the inputted girth of abdomen and personal data including at least height.
 48. A method according to claim 46 or 47 in which the girth of abdomen is inputted by a girth measuring unit.
 49. A method according to claim 46 or 47 in which the girth of abdomen is inputted by data input switches.
 50. An apparatus for measuring body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; a second input unit that enters a personal data including at least a height; and an arithmetic element that calculates total area of fat in abdomen based on the data from said first input unit and second input unit.
 51. An apparatus for measuring body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; a second input unit that enters personal data including at least height; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area of visceral fat based on the data from said first input unit and second input unit.
 52. An apparatus according to claim 50 or 51 in which said first input unit is a girth measuring unit.
 53. An apparatus according to claim 50 or 51 in which said first input unit is data input switches.
 54. An apparatus according to claim 50 or 51 in which said second input unit is data input switches.
 55. An apparatus according to claim 50 or 51, further comprising a third input unit that enters the personal data including at least one of sex and age. 